2/27/09

carnival friday.

this photo (of andrea bock's) causes me to crave some fluffy, pink, cotton candy! i thought i'd give you some carnival fun this friday... it's putting me in a happy mood, how 'bout you? enjoy and have a magical week-end. xo

*to view more of andrea bock's lovely work... visit her beautiful blog, Bloom Grow Love or her etsy store to purchase her prints.

2/26/09

polaDroid pause.






you may recognize some of the above photos from earlier in the week when i posted about our week-end adventures. all of the photos were taken by moi and turned into polaroid-lovely-likeness by visiting this site and downloading FOR FREE the polaDroid application that gives you the ability to lift and drag your photos into a little polaroid camera on your desktop! everyone's polarizing their photos with poloDroid. look here... and here... for examples of my favorite bloggers polaDroiding. i just spoke with my sister - who is a fantastic photographer - and she informed me that they recently stopped producing real polaroid film. i think this news calls for us all to go polaDroid crazy as we bid the production of the classic polaroid film, goodbye! xo
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ps - i think my sweet dog, thea, looks particularly darling in a polaDroid, don't you???

peel.

your laugh
is unraveling
like the slow
peeling of an orange...
piece by piece...
covering my fingers
in sticky, fragrant citrus.
...
your walls are covered in art -
cuckoo clocks -
owl motifs -
candid photography -
and i am propelled forward
by your innovation and excellence.
...
we're drinking wine and swapping tales
like ships passing in the night.
i'm a silent observer in some far corner of the room
overcome
with
feverish
delight
and
new ideas
sprouting
like
tiny green buds on the trees outside.
...
you're a rainmaker - in your own way...
planting roots in this desolate place
so that others can be nourished by the fruit
you bare.
*photo found here.

2/25/09

french nesting.

these are FRENCH TOAST nesting dolls! i'm seriously coveting these adorable dolls that depict the ingredients for making french toast. trish grantham has the coolest stuff in her etsy shop... i just HAD to post another estsy-centered blog today. it's a two-for-one etsy'tastic' wednesday at post script. ;) please, please visit trish's shop here... and view all of her other lovely creations... another amazing portland artist to fall in love with this morning. xo

fabric confections.




can we all agree to being in LOVE with the above photos found at sarahseven's shop (etsy)??? omg. i neeeeeeeeeeed some clothing with titles such as 'robin's egg dress' (middle blue), 'powdered sugar dress' (bottom white) and 'blackberry jam shirt' (top). according to her bio, sarah is an 'independent designer living in portland, orgeon'. i am so very happy i ran across her shop and i'll be sure to keep checking back for new items and fashion inspiration. a portion (5%) of all sales are divided between two of sarah's favorite charities... so it's fashion with good taste and good heart.

2/23/09

yawn.

*the nap spot i wish i was snuggling in right now...

*my favortie little asian girl...
...
happy tuesday everyone!!! i wanted to share a couple of quick still-life photos i snapped recently... just for fun. i'm still learning how to use my sweetie's fabulous camera and have A LOT to learn... but so far i'm loving it.
...
i'm still sniffling today and wish i weren't, but 'tis the season afer all, is it not? yesterday i stayed home instead of driving out to amish country for prenatal visits. i made the wild mushroom soup i spoke of recently - with the mushrooms we bought at the west side market and i will say this: it was beyond delicious. my sweetie said, 'it's low-fat, right?' with a wink... and then asked me not to tell him the truth. (psst... it has a whole stick of butter as well as olive oil, half and half AND heavy whipping cream in it... OMG!!! no wonder it was so yummy!).
...
i attempted a yoga class in the afternoon but left half way through as i was just too weak to keep up... and then my sweetie surprised me with a massage afterward - from the lovely christina lamarca at cleveland yoga and boy was it heavenly! i'm going to continue taking it easy and i hope the rest of you will do the same. cheers! xo
...
ps - did you watch the bachelor 'women tell all' last night??? i only made it half way through and recorded the rest... i was too sleepy to stay up for it all!

week-end adventuring.

*first three images are from reincarnation vintage design where you can meet the lovely cindy and her husband who own the place - which is open only on the week-ends for limited hours.

*my sweetie checking out an old safe at sweet lorain.
*what is it about bolts of fabric???
*the gilded 'sweet lorain' mermaid. i heart her.

*i'm not a big raddish fan, but these beauties could change my mind!

*grapefruit is my favorite!!! i have three of them tattooed on my right arm!

*mushrooms for my soup!



*view of the westside market from above on the balcony...
*i'm a sucker for religious iconography.

despite my cold (that still lingers...), my sweetie and i ran around to a few thrift/antique stores over the week-end where i picked up a fabulous pair of brown suede boots as well as a few little knicknacks for the house (including a wooden acorn plate - so cute!). during a little spree, we popped into my absolute favorite antique store - reincarnation vintage design - on loraine ave. and, as always, the displays were inspring and beautiful with many little treasures to covet.
...
we also popped into the westside market - which i don't typically like to do on the week-ends because it's so crowded... but it was definitely worth it as we snagged some delicious fruit at one of the stands and then enjoyed the famous falafel rolls for lunch! mmm... i even picked up three different types of mushrooms for the cream of wild mushroom soup i plan to make for dinner tonight. xo

2/21/09

yoga and martinis.

today i'm craving a yoga class... hmmm... i'm feeling a tad bit stressed but i did wake up to home-made sour cream pancakes (made by the darlingest darling there ever was) and a rather leisurely saturday morning snuggling with the kitty and watching t.v.. also, i'm looking forward to a fun birthday celebration for my sweetie with friends tonight. we're going to the basement of pickwick and frolic. there's a fabulously swanky little martini bar there called kevin's martini bar. it's a throw-back to an l.a. loung in the fifties. we're meeting up with some of our favorite people and i'm so excited! but FIRST... yoga.
...
happy week-end everyone! take some time to de-stress'ify' yourself and enjoy some laughing with friends. xo


*picture taken by my sister while in floriday/christmas/2008

2/20/09

LUX.



i once had a dog named lux. i named her after the main character in 'the virgin suicides' (that may tell you how much of a sofia coppola fan i am... as well as how much i love the name 'lux'). anywhow... i'm already off on a bunny trail... this LUX, that i'm about to share with you, is the photography company of my darling friend and yoga teacher, jennette zimmerman. jennette is a photographer, yoga teacher, mother of six and genuinely beautiful human being in a tiny package! i'm enjoying the great pleasure of getting to know her and i wanted to share her stunning photography with you. the top portrait is of jennette herself.
...
in a world of trendy yogis that mistake the practice for a hot work-out, jennette understands what it means to live yoga... as a lifestyle. she is an inspiration to me. we were out recently for drinks at the wine bar on coventry, la cave du vin, and though it was our first time hanging out, we were instantly chatting and connecting in a way you cannot force. it either happens or it doesn't! she's a true kindred spirit in her philosophy of yoga, her love for family and animals (she has two darling dogs!) and also in her appreciation of all things lovely. i'm thrilled to share her with you on this friday morning.
...
you can check out more of jennette's photos on her website - found here. namaste, jennette!

2/19/09

birth celebration!

i'm sad to say that i'm a little sick today. my throat is scratchy and i'm a bit stuffed up. i keep joking that michael franti gave me his flu because i kissed him on the cheek just before he shared that he was sick! well... if you're going to catch the flu from someone... it might as well be michael franti!

...

yesterday i was so excited to go home and go 'straight to bed' but alas - i had some birthday shopping to do for my sweetie - and a cake to make once i finally arrived home. tonight we're planning on dinner at my favorite pizza place (Dewey's... try the 'green lantern' pizza - it's outstanding!) and then we're going to see the intriguing and lovely Coraline movie. i adore tim burton! :) another note... between the valentine cheescake a few days ago and this most recent chocolate ganache cake, i'm beginning to think ina garten is involved in a plot to make america chubby! chubby and very, very happy!

...

cheers to all on this wonderful february 19th! i'm smiling today - despite my sore throat - because i'm celebrating the birth of my sweetie. xo

*image found here.

2/18/09

canadian class!

okay. last night, my favorite bachelor beauty was sent home!!! jillian harris - from vancouver, b.c. - had her heart broken by the most boring bachelor in the history of the show. seriously, this dude was kind of cool and down-to-earth when deanna was stringing him along... but NOW - i think all this bachelor'ness' has gone to his balding head and in my opinion, he's a total snooze attack. when he has nothing to say to the cutesy commentary and gushing from one of the ladies - he just leans in for a kiss. has anyone other than me noticed this??? ANYHOW - jillian totally out-classed (to use my dad's term) jason, and i hope she becomes the next bachelorette! wouldn't that be so much fun? this sweet canadian (maybe it's because i'm also canadian?!) has totally stolen my heart and i was so sad to see her drive off last night. sigh... if she's smart she'll soon recognize he wasn't meant for her anyhow. she needs someone far more adventurous and colorful who has something interesting to say in response to her mature and interesting dialogue. this show is my serious guilty pleasure... i'm not even going to apologize! ;)

photo found here.

2/17/09

franti bliss!


sunday night was the michael franti concert at the house of blues and it was so much fun!!! my sweetie and i had the pleasure of picking him up at his tour bus downtown and taking him to a cleveland yoga class where we practiced with him. what a down-to-earth and genuine person! the concert turned out to be fantastic and he even gave a shout-out to all of cleveland yoga (half of whom were there!). it was the perfect end to a valentine week-end with all of his fabulous love songs and general good vibes. check out his music here!


*photo copied from here.

2/14/09

v-day!!!


i'll admit to waking up a little crabby this morning... last night i drove out to a birth an hour and 45 minutes away and found out the client and her husband were only comfortable with one student being present. a. was already there and had been there all day, so they said she could stay... i packed up and drove the whole way home at 11 o'clock at night! growl. moving forward we're going to need to make sure the births we attend are open to a. and i both attending BEFORE one of us drives out into the middle of nowhere. lesson learned. sigh... yesterday was friday the 13th after all!

...

anyhow - on a brighter and much sweeter note - i am currently waiting for a chocolate espresso cheescake to come out of the oven! i gave my sweetie a few options and he chose the cheescake, so i woke up this morning and whipped up this scrumptious smelling confection that i will shortly cover in ganache. mmm... you can check out the recipe here by the fabulous ina garten - the barefoot contessa - who is pictured above.

...

next on today's agenda is a trip to the mall to find something fun to wear this evening at table 45!!! i'm so excited! i hope you all have a wonderful valentine's day full of love. xo

2/13/09

sing healing.






in keeping with my recent thoughts about creative, talented, inspiring people in my life... i must mention my sister who is a very talented and growing photographer. i love to visit her flickr page (name - 'sing healing') every now and then and see what new abandoned building she's recently explored with her boyfriend... or what haunting self-portrait... or perfectly lit still-life she has captured. i couldn't say my sister's name properly when she was born (i was two!), so i substituted with the next closest thing which happened to come out as 'lolo'. i still call her this - much to her chagrin. here's to lolo and her fabulous photos!

2/12/09

delicious 'yellowcake'


last night - on my way home from work - i started thinking about how talented some of my friends are... and it is on that note that i introduce you to one of them. she is not only a friend, but also my ex-roomie and i think her art is beyond lovely and her clothes are decadent eye candy!!! i was just speaking with this darling friend, valerie mayen, the other night and discovered she is actually full-time devoted to her business right now and has even recently hired an assistant. i'm so proud of her! her business is called 'yellowcake' and has a store on etsy. check it out!

2/11/09

sweetie's day


i'm oh-so-ridiculously-excited about valentine's day this year!!! perhaps it has something to do with the fact that i have a valentine like no other. my sweetie is taking me to the fabulous table 45 this year on the 14th and after eating a red velvet cupcake from starbucks last week - i'm suddenly in the spirit of all things pink, red and full of sugar! i'm still trying to figure out what i'm going to buy as a little token gift. i've been browsing etsy as always... check out these darling jewlrey boxes... and the amazing print shown above! happy v-day shopping... xo

2/10/09

one-a-birth, two-a-birth, three...

i feel so very blessed to have witnessed another birth this week-end... and to top it off, A. is currently at TWO births at the same time! the midwife had to transport one amish couple to the home of another amish couple - both couples in labor - because she can't be two places at once! so as i sit here at my desk, i'm feeling ever-so-slightly jealous... :) last night's birth that i attended was very quick - less than 5 hours from beginning to end. the moon was bright and their laundry was blowing on the line outside the door of the front house. i wish i could have taken my own photos to share but things were very rushed. i'm feeling quite satisfied this tuesday morning. my week-end was crazy busy, but much was accomplished.

...

on that note, i wanted to share a link with you to a website about the amish. after arriving home last last night, my sweetie was asking a few basic questions about the amish way of life and it prompted me to look up something that may interest more than just him. happy tuesday!!!

*photo found here.

2/8/09

first birth.

last night i witnessed my first birth in over three years. it was a re-connecting experience for me as i've only recently jumped back into my midwifery training after a three year hiatus for personal reasons. the beginning of january marked the re-start of my apprenticeship and i've been patiently - and sometimes not so patiently! - waiting for the first birth i would actually make in time! my expectations were low as i made the drive out to ashland yesteray afternoon. this amish mom was having baby number 12... and the midwife thought it would come fast. i had an hour and a half commute and i got lost twice - so i was half expecting to miss it, but eventually i found my destination farm and made the trip up the long, muddy drive and into the rustic, old home where i found a lovely woman and her cheerful husband laboring away... several hours after my arrival a beautiful baby girl was born and i remembered again - so potently - why i love this job. i bathed and dressed her in front of the wood stove and handed her back to her mom - who smiled and snuggled her under her chin. my heart skipped a beat and time stood still - like it always does in those fresh and holy moments after life has been given. the drive home in the dark had me feeling satisfied and complete in a way that still lingers into this morning... happy sunday to you all!

(ps - the photo above is courtesy of my dear friend, jennette - who is an amazing photographer and whom i will do a post on very soon! the photo is of one of her own little ones being held by her hubby)

2/6/09

yummy baby things


good morning! i want to share a couple of darling ideas i came across last night while at a pre-natal doula visit. my dear friend is my 'partner in crime' in all things midwifery/doula related. i'll call her 'a.'. :) she happens to have a lovely couple in her capable doula hands right now who happen to be a tad bit past their due date. she invited me along to a final pre-natal at their house and i'm so glad i joined her. not only were this couple a total joy to get to know... but they also had the most darling baby things!!! amongst them were a hand-knitted 'cupcake' baby rattle and cookies (sooo beyond cute!!!) and BABY leg warmers!!! i was smitten! i lurked around etsy this morning in an unsuccessful attempt to find the cupcake rattle (perhaps someone else will have better luck?). i did find some similar items that i wanted to share, however... one being the cupcake hat pictured above and the other being a version of the aforementioned leg warmers. enjoy!



2/5/09

the ordinary/extraordinary cervix

okay... i'm officially astounded! i stumbled across these photos of a cervix and was blown away!!! PLEASE VIEW AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AS THEY ARE GRAPHIC IN NATURE (aka: real to life and actually quite ordinary - considering how common the cervix is!). nonetheless - if you're a 'birth junkie' and feminist like myself - you'll find these photos to be most intriguing and hopefully they will shed some much-needed light on the "mysterious" female anatomy and cycle. how interesting!!!

1/31/09




when you're called at 6:00 in the morning to drive over two hours south for an amish birth... you kind of hope to actually make it to SEE the birth. alas, this was not the case in the wee hours of this morning. i made it twenty minutes too late. :( the view along the way and once i arrived at the farm was almost worth it though!